Chapter 9: Devils Within the Walls
Albus Potter followed Grindelwald as much as he could as the battle progressed. He had found him early in the battle; the guy was so tall that he wasn't really that hard to miss. Grindelwald had been inches from the bridge when Canon had set off the fire in the moat. So close. He had circled around the outside of the maze for several minutes before jumping in. Just as he jumped in, the army turned and started a march straight down the correct path. Albus was sure that they weren't supposed to be able to do that, but he refused to put anything past the Elder Wand. Maybe Grindelwald was now in control. Maybe Travers was hanging out somewhere and could control the inferi.
He noticed the first spells leave the castle as the Americans retreated slowly through the maze. He had instructed the members of the NDA to take up positions at windows and on towers and help with any spell they could think of as the battle got closer to the castle. He figured that the Headmistress would be upset but he knew they would need it. Strangely, Canon didn't seem upset. Just then he saw that an inferius had broken loose and had the Headmistress cornered. Albus sent a stunning spell and hit the unsuspecting inferius in the chest. He fell onto the Headmistress who brushed him aside and got up. She was covered in mud. Sorry, Albus thought.
The Americans retreated back to the castle walls. Albus knew that the NDA would now be moving to the center hallway and be preparing for their own fight. He stayed on top of his tower, however, and began to search for Grindelwald. He found him moving slowly across the muddy maze just as Marie Laveau began to show off some amazing magic. Grindelwald saw it too and quickly turned around and pulled several hundred inferi out of the maze just as a bolt of lightning struck and spread throughout the army.
Albus looked around. There were about three hundred inferi who had joined Grindelwald outside the maze and about two hundred more still alive and scattered throughout the maze itself. Albus was beginning to wonder if his army would get a chance to fight when Grindelwald did the impossible. He raised the Elder Wand and the ground below him shook. Stones flew up out of the ground and built a tall tower up from the ground in front of him. Once the tower had reached about ten feet high it began to tilt, almost as if it had been pushed at the top and fell over toward the castle. Albus quickly looked and spotted Marie Laveau stunned in the path of the bridge. He swiped his wand and she flew several feet to his right just as the bridge hit the top of the maze and fell through the maze, squashing a couple of inferi.
Albus looked back to find Grindelwald. He was leading the group of about three hundred across the bridge which led straight to the front of the school. Then, about halfway across, he pulled out a silvery cloak, put it on and vanished. Albus thought he recognized the cloak, he just hoped he was wrong.
The army approached the school, and Albus was ready, waiting to do his one final job from the tower. Just as the army's front line got to the castle walls he waved his wand. The wall responded and immediately a large swamp exploded from the wall across the small hallway which was to serve as the battleground. The first line was shoved back by the force of the swamp and they slammed into the inferi behind them covered in swamp guts. A tree grew in the middle of the path and the already mushy ground proved to be a very useful foundation for the wetlands of the portable swamp. Albus made a note to thank George next time he saw him. If there was a next time.
Albus rushed down the stairs and through the halls of the school toward the castle door. The halls echoed with the sound of the battle outside. A green jet flew in front of Albus' face, causing him to stop suddenly. He looked toward where the spell had come from and found that one of his friends had left the window open. He walked to the window and peered through it. He found Headmistress Canon fighting two inferi about halfway through the maze and he sent a disarming spell at both of them. He searched for Grindelwald, but he was nowhere to be seen.
The hallway trap was full of inferi. The NDA was sending spell after spell throughout the wall at them, but many of the spells were simply being blocked by the inferi and bouncing harmlessly into the castle wall. Albus thought about Marie Laveau's trick. If she could control the weather, why couldn't he? He raised his wand at the sky and twirled it slowly. The sky obliged creating a small funnel cloud which grew longer and longer in the sky. Finally the winds picked up to keep the tornado going on its own and Albus magically grabbed it and pulled it down on the army. The tornado hit the ground at the back of the army, destroying and picking up the end of the bridge and then moved toward the castle door. As it moved, every inferius in its path was picked up and slammed into the castle walls which were undamaged due to the magical protection which they were built with.
A sudden movement near the castle door caught Albus's eye. A flicker of light and then Gellert Grindelwald appeared facing the twister. He waved his wand and the tornado suddenly lifted off the ground, tied itself in a knot and extended straight toward Albus's window. He quickly shut the window and ran to the next room and opened the window, sending a blocking spell at the tornado. The spell stopped the wind's movement and the tornado fell apart. Albus turned back to watch the battle. About half of the inferi remained. Grindelwald turned to the door and waved his wand.
Small green plants appeared at the base of the door and vines began to grow out of them. The vines ran up the door and were joined by new vines at every crack in the door where a seed could grow. The vines grew larger and larger and within minutes the door was covered in green plants which now were slithering like snakes upon the door. Grindelwald blocked a stunning spell which had been sent at him by one of the NDA members and then set fire to the growing mass of plants. When the fire cleared, the plants and door were completely gone.
It was protected against magic, not natural decay, Albus thought. He was worried now. If Grindelwald could get through that door that quickly than the next two doors would be no match for him. Furthermore, all the tricks and traps which they had set up within the castle would not slow him down either. There was only one way which Grindelwald could be slowed down and that was the contingency plan that Albus had been avoiding all battle. Grindelwald would only slow down if he was defeated in a duel. Albus was the only one who might be able to do that.
Albus pointed his wand at his throat. He could hear his voice reverberate from the castle walls as he spoke. "Gellert Grindelwald. My name is Albus Potter. I am the leader of the defenders of this castle. As Champion of the defenders I challenge you to a duel. No seconds, just us. I will meet you in one hour in the Dining Hall."
Silence met this. Finally the chilling voice of Grindelwald came though the same walls. "Agreed, fool. I will meet you there. Open the doors, all forces stand down."
Albus took a deep breath and absentmindedly rubbed the small green stone in his pocket. It had served its purpose and Dumbledore had trained him well. Now it was up to him, whether he liked it or not.